SMS QR code generator
Make a QR code that opens a text message to your number with the words already typed. Good for opt-ins, entries and quick replies.
Fill in the details and the code appears here.
What happens when someone scans it
Scanning an SMS code opens the phone's messaging app with your number in the recipient field and your message already typed in. The person presses send to deliver it, so nothing goes out without their say. It is the quickest way to get a text from someone who would never type a short code and a keyword from a poster correctly.
Numbers need their country code
A number written the way it is dialled locally works for people in your country and fails for anyone scanning with a phone from elsewhere. Enter it in full international form, starting with a plus sign and the country code and the message reaches you wherever the phone is registered. Spaces and dashes are removed automatically.
Where an SMS code works better than a link
Text messages reach people who never open email and never visit websites and the reply comes from their real number. That makes an SMS code a natural fit for appointment confirmations, competition entries, opt-in lists and “text us when you arrive” signs at a collection point.
It also works without mobile data, which matters in basements, rural car parks and anywhere the signal only manages a bar or two.
Writing the message
Write the message people would type if they bothered. A keyword you can filter on, a reference number or a short sentence that tells you what they want. Avoid anything that reads like it was sent by a machine, because the person sending it sees it in their own conversation history.
Consent
If you plan to send messages back, particularly marketing, check the rules where you operate. An inbound text is a good start but isn’t always the same as permission to message someone repeatedly.
Reading replies at volume
If a poster could bring in hundreds of texts, route the number to a service that can sort them rather than a personal phone. Put a distinct keyword in each code, one per poster or location and the incoming messages tell you which placement worked without any tracking at all.
Common questions
Does the text send automatically?
No. The code opens the message ready to send and the person taps send. Phones don’t allow a QR code to send messages on its own, which is why people are comfortable scanning these.
Will people be charged for the message?
At their normal rate for a text. Standard messages to an ordinary mobile number are included in most plans. Premium short codes can carry charges and advertising rules in many countries require you to say so beside the code.
Which format does the code use?
SMSTO, the format most phone cameras and scanner apps understand, followed by the number and the message. The scanner on this site also reads the sms: style that some other generators produce.
How long can the message be?
Keep it to a line. A standard text holds 160 characters before it is split into parts and every character makes the code denser. A short keyword such as JOIN or a booking reference is ideal.
Guides
QR codes for a specific job
Each opens the generator set up for that kind of code.